It has recently made headlines that Daniel Craig is not planning on leaving any substantial inheritance to his family from his estate worth approximately $1.6milllion. Whilst most people do not have estates of this value, the majority of people do want to leave something behind for their children and loved ones.
Testamentary freedom is an important principle of English law, which allows people to leave their estate to whomever they wish. This may include children, spouses, or charities. The most common way of determining what will happen to your estate after your death is for a will to be made during your lifetime.
For a will to be valid it must:
- Be made by a person who is 18 years old or over.
- Be made voluntarily and without pressure from any other person.
- Be made by a person who is of sound mind. This means the person must be fully aware of the nature of the document being written or signed and aware of the property and the identity of the people included within.
- Be made in writing.
- Be signed by the person making the will in the presence of two witnesses.
- Be signed by the two witnesses, in the presence of the person making the will.
If you would like further information on how to make a will, please contact our office on 01740 657444 or email ferryhill@evansco.co.uk for a free initial discussion.